This type of touch-sensing system is known as an FTIR-based system (FTIR, Frustrated Total Internal Reflection). It may be implemented to operate by transmitting light inside a solid light transmissive panel, which defines two parallel boundary surfaces connected by a peripheral edge surface. Light generated by a plurality of emitters is coupled into the panel so as to propagate by total internal reflection (TIR) between the boundary surfaces to a plurality of detectors. The light thereby defines propagation paths across the panel, between pairs of emitters and detectors. The emitters and detectors are arranged such that the propagation paths define a grid on the panel. An object that touches one of the boundary surfaces (“the touch surface”) will attenuate (“frustrate”) the light on one or more propagation paths and cause a change in the light received by one or more of the detectors. The location (coordinates), shape or area of the object may be determined by analyzing the received light at the detectors. This type of apparatus has an ability to detect plural objects in simultaneous contact with the touch surface, known as “multi-touch” in the art.
In one configuration, e.g. disclosed in U.S. 2006/0114237, the light is coupled into the panel directly through the peripheral edge surface. Such an approach allows the light to be simply and efficiently injected into the panel. Also, such an incoupling does not add significantly to the thickness of the touch system. However, incoupling via the edge surface may require the edge surface to be highly planar and free of defects. This may be difficult and/or costly to achieve, especially if the panel is thin and/or manufactured of a comparatively brittle material such as glass. Incoupling via the edge surface may also add to the footprint of the touch system. Furthermore, it may be difficult to optically access the edge surface if the panel is attached to a mounting structure, such as a frame or bracket, and it is also likely that the mounting structure causes strain in the edge surface. Such strain may affect the optical quality of the edge surface and result in reduced incoupling performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,327 discloses an FTIR-based touch system in which the emitters and detectors are arranged in rows on opposite ends of the panel, and light beams are propagated between opposite pairs of emitters and detectors so as to define a rectangular grid of propagation paths. Large prisms are attached to the bottom surface of the panel to couple the light beams into and out of the panel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,432,893, a few large emitters are arranged at the corners of the panel, or centrally on each side of the panel, to inject diverging light beams (“fan beams”) into the panel for receipt by linear arrays of photodiodes along all sides of the panel. Each fan beam is coupled into the panel by a large revolved prism which is attached to the top surface of the panel, and the photodiodes are attached to the top or bottom surface of the panel, so as to define a plurality of propagation paths between each prism and a set of photodiodes.
By attaching prisms or wedges to the top or bottom surfaces, it is possible to relax the surface requirements of the edge surface and/or to facilitate assembly of the touch system. However, the prisms or wedges may add significant thickness and weight to the system. To reduce weight and cost, the wedge may be made of plastic material. On the other hand, the panel is often made of glass, e.g. to attain required bulk material properties (e.g. index of refraction, transmission, homogeneity, isotropy, durability, stability, etc) and surface evenness of the top and bottom surfaces. The present applicant has found that the difference in thermal expansion between the plastic material and the glass may cause a bulky wedge to come loose from the panel as a result of temperature variations during operation of the touch system. Even a small or local detachment of the wedge may cause a significant decrease in the performance of the system.
In the field of LCD display technology, which is outside the field of touch-sensitive systems, it is known to couple light from LEDs into thin waveguide panels as part of so-called backlights (BLUs, Backlight units) for LCD displays. These waveguide panels are located behind the LCD and are configured to emit light from its top surface to uniformly illuminate the rear side of the LCD. Various strategies for coupling light into waveguides for the purpose of back-illuminating LCD displays are disclosed in the publication “Using micro-structures to couple light into thin light-guides”, by Yun Chen, Master of Science Thesis, Stockholm 2011, TRITA-ICT-EX-2011:112.
In the field of integrated optical sensors, which is outside the field of touch-sensitive systems, it is also known to couple light into and out of a waveguide. In the article “Light coupling for integrated optical waveguide-based sensors”, by Steindorfer et al., published in Optical Sensing and Detection, proceedings of the SPIE, vol. 7726, pp. 77261S-1-77261S-10 (2010), an optical waveguide is deposited on the upper side of a substrate to be exposed to an analyte. An organic light emitting diode (OLED), which acts as a light source, and an organic photodiode as light detector are monolithically integrated on the lower side of the substrate. Fluorescent molecules are deposited on the upper side, to couple light emitted by the OLED into the waveguide, and a scattering layer is applied to the upper side to couple light out of the waveguide onto the photodiode.